According to the National Institutes of Health, around 38% of Americans use some sort of alternative medical treatments and celebrities are among them. There are over 1,000 different types and forms of natural and alternative treatments and here are the stars who swear by these nonstandard remedies.

Mariah Carey

Mariah credits acupuncture for helping her and Nick Cannon get pregnant. Nick Cannon told Us Weekly in an interview that his wife relied on the technique once a day as a good de-stressor “all over her body”. The practice of acupuncture originated in China and consists of inserting fine needles into specific points of the body to rebalance energy, improve health and relieve stress.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Paltrow is no stranger to natural remedies. In 2004, the actress showed up to a premiere with circular spots across her back, the clear signs of a procedure called cupping. Practitioners apply a cup, or a cone, to the skin and create a vacuum with hot air, or simply through suction at the top of the cup. The suction brings blood to the surface and, according to Chinese medicine, can have various benefits on the body from stimulating blood flow, to relieving pain and drawing Qi energy to the area.

Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone has been known to use the 6000-year-old tradition of aromatherapy by incorporating the oils into her bath routine as well as using Dead Sea salts. Aromatherapy uses pure essential oils from fragrant plants which are massaged, inhaled, compressed or used in baths to relieve stress as it is believed that scent has the power to transform our emotions and heal our bodies.

Nick Nolte

Nolte, who, in an interview with Larry King on CNN, spoke about different ways to slow the aging process and stay healthy for as long as possible, said he tried a controversial treatment involving trioxygen (O3) or ozone. Doctors have experimented with a variety of uses for ozone since it was discovered by a homeopathic doctor in 1856. It is injected into the body in controlled amounts, not inhaled. “It’s a treatment that — that oxidizes the brain,” Nolte said in the interview. “And maybe — certainly on the brain scan, you can see that the — the brain is more metabolized.”

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman uses the ancient healing art of Reiki to ease the stresses of her busy life. Reiki, practiced by “laying on the hands”, is a form of energetic healing designed to remove blocks within the body that cause disease and mental illness.

Richard Gere

The actor says he uses the Buteyko breathing technique while meditating to “set my motivation for the day”. The short but intense five-week program is designed to retrain and restore normal breathing rate and depth in order to ease chronic ailments such as anxiety, asthma, sleep apnoea, snoring, digestive disorders and excessive tiredness.

Uma Thurman

The Kill Bill star engages in Gem Therapy, a practice where followers believe that certain gems radiate specific energies that can affect mood and well-being. Gem therapy is a Buddhist practice based on the belief that certain crystals and gems possess a powerful energy that can positively affect imbalances in human energy fields and thus promote health and well-being by using semiprecious and precious stones to enhance mental, spiritual and physical healing.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore admits her bizarre beauty secret – she let leaches suck her blood. Even in ancient times, leeches were used to treat many diseases of the blood. “I was in Austria doing a cleanse and part of the treatment was leech therapy. These aren’t just swamp leeches though – we are talking about highly trained medical leeches. These are not some low-level scavengers – we’re talking high-level blood suckers”, says Demi.

Olivia Newtown-John

Olivia Newtown-John told the UK’s Daily Mail, that she used homeopathy, along with other natural therapies, to help her recover from breast cancer after chemotherapy in 1992. Homeopathic medicines are a natural, non-toxic, holistic form of medicine drawn from sources such as plants, minerals, and animals that stimulate your own body’s healing abilities to treat a wide variety of diseases. Olivia has made homeopathic treatments available at her wellness retreat, Gaia in the Byron Bay hinterland, and is currently raising money for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.

Suzanne Somers

Suzanne Somers has in recent years become a proponent for healthy living and alternative therapies. But she has also inspired others by beating breast cancer. She opted for a drug made from mistletoe extract over chemotherapy, and wrote a book promoting the work of some very unconventional physicians.